The Portland daily press., 1887-10-13
NE WALKED 100 MILES.
And He Thereby Lost so much Flesh
that He Couldn't Join the Army.
The Initiation a Man Gets Before He
Can Fight for Uncle sam.
StaIwart Sons of Maine Admired by
Regular Army Men.
II want to Join the army"

Il want to join the army"
Thus spoke spare c0untryman In the
o office Of the United States recruiting station
on Exchange street yesterday. He was
dressed in homespun or something very
much like 1t. and wore heavy cowhides, the
legs Of which were about as long as his own
legs. He looked dusty and tired. but in his
eyes was the light of triumph that comes on
ly when goal is reached.
Where did you come from?" was the first
question asked.
"A hundred miles out of Northern Maine
"How?"
"On my feet"
What, and lugged those boots?"
''Yes sir-e-e."
''How much do you weigh without your
boots?"
"A hundred and thirty-fye when / start
That will let you into the army if you
weigh that now; step on to those scales"
The fellow pulled off his boots and stepped
on to the scales. He tipped them at one
hundred and twenty-six, just under the
weight that Uucle Sam wanted for man Of
his height.
The blue-eoated soldier broke the news 10
HIM as gently as he could; but the iron en-
tered the recruits soul.
.GOshP y he cried, ''in coming that hundred
miles have walked off ten pounds lust
flesh enough to have let me in? Ii must
have been those boots that did 1t. I'll throw
them away and fat up; will you take me
then?"
enough"
The next man had not come so far nor car
ried so much shoe leathey. The officer said
he was promising applicant, and told the
PRESS reporter that ii he would wait he
might see the initiation they give fellow
before they let him into Uncle Sans army.
The object OF the examination IS 10 aseer
tain if the candidate is sound enough phy-
slcally to hear well, shoot well, mareh we'll
chew bis food vel, and live in the open air
OF Montana or Arizona without harm
To test the sight and hearing Of the candi-.
date Is ascomparatively easy task. lie reads
or tries 10 read letters at various distances;
and Is requested 10 repeat lOW conversation
which is addressed TO him from different dis
tances. There is not much of an ordeal to
tnls. IL Is only when Sergeant Flint takes
MIN into the private Office and points to a big
bath tub that the candidate knows he is TO
| be examined, even for the slightest scar
The candidate in this case was a fine speci-
men ply ysieally of man that is, so he ap-
| peared- TO the reporter. But Uncle Sam is
not satisfied with merely superficial appear
ance The corporal there is locking first at
the recruits toe-nails, small things to look at
In selecting a son of Mars, IL w0ald SEEM
But the Corporal knows t0v-nail grown IN
may stop soldier on the march almost as
short as an Apache's arrow. A corn, too, is
| very bad companion for the soldier, and
| our prospective recruit Is required 10 give
demonstrative evidence that he has none
de stands IN the middle of the floor, jumps
| into the air and comes down upon the bot
toms of his bare feet. He does it without
flnching; Sergeant Flint says ''all right. I"
| de then hops around the ROOM on his toes,
bends his toes, bends his fingers, swings
his arms, pounds his chest, while the ser
geant stands by and watches with critical
eye to detect the slightest defect. The can
didate IS also looked over carefully for sears,
and each one is carefully noted on the en-
Hstment papers. Wherever the enlisted
man may be, on whatever battlefield his
body may be found, the government has an
accurate description Of him.
bis own physical condition once deter
mined. the candidate is questioned about his
| family history, and every answer is CAREFUL
~ noted. III either Of his parents. or a
/ wants 10 know 1t, and wants TO know the
nature OF the disease too. This much Of
family history Is required as a part Of the
soldiers record, that in case he should be
sick, the surgeon may understand his pre-.
disposition to certain diseases.
The oath OF allegiance to the United
states ana the oath to obey the articles of
war comes last. These taken and the man
| DNSohN Abii-A0hbtu Is uItSStQ Ill
suit OF blue, and awaits transportation 10
some fort where he is instructed In his du.
ties as soldier before assignment To regi.
ment
A detachment of recruits left this city
Tuesday evening ON the steamer fremont
They Will report at David's Island, New
York Hartor The men composing it are
principally for the cavalry service They
are natives of the State of Maine, and most
ly Americans, and come from the country
regions. In the judgment Of Lieutenant
Cusick they are some OF the best men sent
into the army from any recruiting station OF
| which he has had experience. Physieally
they are finer specimens of manhood than
the United States Army usually gets; and
the same may be said of them intellectually.
The Lieutenant feels highly pleased at his
success In region of such stalWart sons as
| is the State of Maine.
The appearance Of the Maine Militia reg
| lment that paraded In Portland before going
TO Philadelphia awoke the officers Of the re-
| eruiting station to the material there is in
Maine. For uniformity of size, excellence of
physical development and general bearing
the men were individually superior to ans
equal body Of men that Lieutenant Cusielg
has seen. OF course in drill they were not
30 expert as troops with better facilities foI
| discipline.